across the table. ‘Maybe a handsome young student with a six pack.’
‘So somebody half your age? You’re almost forty, Al. You could be done for cradle snatching. Anyway, from what I remember of university, the only six packs I came across were the ones containing beer.’
‘Anyway, I’ve got to get there first.’
‘Where’s there? Are you going to stay here in London? Or are you thinking of pastures new? Maybe a little thatched cottage in the country?’ She was joking, but she spotted something on Alice’s face. ‘Really? You want to bury yourself in the country, among the yokels?’
‘I was thinking of Devon, actually. And Exeter is one of the best universities in the country, or so they say.’
‘Wow, that’s radical. So you really fancy abandoning the bright lights of the city? And Devon? They’re still eating the missionaries down there, you know.’
Alice gave her a smile. ‘I’ll take my chances. Anyway, I’ll need to find a house first.’
‘A house in the country?’ Danny was doing his best to sound positive, although he was still reeling at the news that she was leaving London.
‘I think so. I’ve got my eye on Devon. We used to go on holiday down there when I was little. It has happy memories for me.’ She was still holding the envelope that he had brought from the office. Alongside her name and address, there were the words: Strictly Private and Confidential. By hand of courier.
His eyes flicked down to it. ‘Nigel told me to tell you it’s a really good deal.’
‘What would he know about a good deal?’ She allowed herself a snort of derision. ‘I’ve closed more deals than he’s had expense account lunches.’
‘We are all so sorry you have had to leave.’ He decided to take a chance. ‘And I’m very sorry indeed. It won’t be the same without you.’
‘Thanks, Danny. I’m going to miss you, too.’ She failed to spot the flash of disappointment on his face as she added, ‘All of you on the fifteenth floor.’
He rallied himself. ‘So have you found a house yet? And what about this place?’ Her flat was in a lovely old house, halfway up a narrow backstreet in Greenwich. It was the first time he had ever been inside, although he had once walked past and wondered what it was like. When Nigel had asked for a volunteer to deliver the envelope, he hadn’t hesitated.
‘I’ve only just started looking. I’ve been checking out the property websites. Prices in Devon are a lot lower than London prices.’ She nodded towards the envelope. ‘So, depending on what this says, I’ll either sell up and buy or maybe keep this place on and rent it.’ He perked up.
‘Listen, Alice, if you decide to keep it and rent it out, I would be very interested. It’s a gorgeous place and so very close to work. Would that be all right?’
‘That sounds great.’ She hesitated, looking a bit dubious. ‘It isn’t very big, you know. Are you sure you’d have room?’
‘Loads, Alice. There’s just me. Nobody else, no pets, not even a goldfish. And I should be able to afford to pay the rent. G&B are spending a lot on IT at the moment.’
She was on the point of making a rude retort about them having money to spend on computers, rather than on real people like her, but she stopped herself. It wasn’t Danny’s fault, after all. And he was a real person. How funny that he wasn’t married. He was quite good-looking, really.
‘Have you tried looking for property on auction sites?’ His voice interrupted her train of thought.
‘What, online auctions?’
‘Not exactly. These days there are more and more auctions, real auctions, where people can bid over the internet or by telephone, if they can’t be physically present. You can view all the lots from the comfort of your desk and then bid at a distance.’ He glanced around the room. ‘If you’ve got a computer here, I can show you a few if you are interested.’
‘I’d like that, Danny. Here, take a seat while I grab the laptop.’
They sat down together and he introduced her to a variety of property auction sites. In particular, they found one close to Exeter. He clicked on the icon.
‘Next sale…catalogue…look, there’s a sale next week.’ He could feel her warmth beside him. He did his best to concentrate on the screen. ‘Wow, look at this. There are eighty properties going under the hammer. Why not take a look at some of those. You can sometimes get real bargains at auction.’
She started clicking through the list, astounded to see some with a guide price of less than the cost of her new kitchen. She shot him a quick glance. ‘I’ll make some tea in a minute if you like. Do you want to take a look around the place in the meantime? You might as well check to see if it could suit you.’
He got up and wandered round the flat. There was this wonderful large living room, with a dining table to one side. The view from the window, over old slate roofs, was towards trees and parkland. The ultra modern kitchen was through an arch and looked like the inside of a space capsule. Not without difficulty, he located the electric kettle and filled it. While it heated up, he continued his tour of inspection. The bedroom and bathroom were spectacular. The bed was stainless steel, the sheets crisp and white. It was like something out of a glossy magazine. Shelves of clothes and rows of shoes gave it an air of intimacy, as did the blouse lying across the bed. He thought he could distinguish the imprint of her head on the pillow. He gave a silent sigh. He was still looking down at it when he heard her voice.
‘What do you think?’ Her voice echoed through the flat.
He returned to the living room. She had left the computer and was in the kitchen, making tea. He glanced at the screen. There was a pretty, red-brick terraced house for sale with a guide price of less than a hundred thousand. He gawped. The same house around here would be closer to half a million. Alongside the keyboard he saw that she had opened the letter from Nigel. She had tucked it back into the envelope again. He found himself hoping desperately that it would be sufficient for her to be able to keep the flat and rent it to him.
‘Afraid I haven’t got any biscuits.’ She reappeared with two mugs of tea. ‘If I had them in the house I would only end up eating them. Just because I’m unemployed, I don’t intend to slob out on the sofa.’
She looked, as ever, utterly gorgeous. He risked a compliment. ‘I can’t imagine you as anything remotely resembling a slob. You always look fantastic.’
Her head jerked up. That sounded remarkably like a compliment. Mind you, she thought to herself, he’s probably just trying to cheer me up. She kept her tone light. ‘A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.’
He did his best not to think of either her lips or her hips. He turned his attention to the laptop and pointed at an address on the screen. ‘See that? Beauchamp-by-the-Sea, I know that place. Did you know the locals pronounce it “Beecham”? It’s got a lovely sandy beach. Good for windsurfing, if you’re ever interested.’
She concentrated on the house agents’ blurb. ‘It’s in East
